Kangaroos hold off winless Suns
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A four-goal performance by Brent Harvey helped North Melbourne to a nail-biting seven-point AFL victory over Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night.
The Kangaroos’ 11.21 (87) to 12.8 (80) victory was a scrappy and at times aggressive one as both sides went into the match desperate for a win.
It appeared Drew Petrie’s second goal of the night with seven minutes to go had given North the breathing space they needed but a late goal to the Suns’ Harley Bennell ensured the result went right down to the final siren.
After an error-strewn, low-scoring first half in which the Roos held a narrow 3.12 (30) to 4.3 (27) lead, it was North Melbourne who were the first team to find their rhythm.
Two goals to Harvey in the first four minutes after the main break gave the Kangaroos a handy advantage, although a Taylor Hine goal kept the Suns – who are still winless in 2012 – within reach.
The match turned spiteful minutes later after Hine was penalised for high contact on Lindsay Thomas.
Tempers boiled over after Thomas scored from the free kick as both teams came together resulting in another free kick to North, which Cunnington was unable to capitalise upon.
It appeared North had best handled the rise in physicality and intensity after Thomas scored his second, but long-range goals from Gary Ablett and Josh Caddy gave the Suns momentum going into the final change as they trailed by 12 points.
But it wasn’t enough as the visitors held off a determined Suns to the disappointment of the 10,170-strong crowd.
Todd Goldstein (32 hitouts) and Drew Petrie (two goals, 23 disposals) put in strong performances for the Kangaroos, while Suns captain Ablett was again a standout in a beaten side, kicking four goals and collecting a game-high 42 possessions.
© AAP 2013The Crowd Says (15) | Page 1 of Comments
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June 17th 2012 @ 7:18am
Buffy said | June 17th 2012 @ 7:18am | Report comment
I’m sorry the Suns are the biggest embarrassment to the people of the GC.
North played so badly and still won. By the look of the empty stadium I’m not the only one who has given up on the Suns.
June 17th 2012 @ 2:04pm
The Cattery said | June 17th 2012 @ 2:04pm | Report comment
At least the Suns are averaging better crowds than the alternatives.
Remind me again what happened to GCU?
June 18th 2012 @ 11:07am
clipper said | June 18th 2012 @ 11:07am | Report comment
Buffy – surely the Titans are just as embarrassing.
I can see your point that in an age of ‘I want it now’, the continued poor run of the Suns may be having a detrimental effect on the crowd numbers and maybe they should’ve started with a more competitive team, but we’re not the ones with they money and expertise, so no doubt there is a strategy in place – after all the Storm have been at the top since they began and their crowds aren’t great and they only got 17k watching in VIC, SA and WA last week.
June 17th 2012 @ 11:37am
Calcio said | June 17th 2012 @ 11:37am | Report comment
If that crowd was over 10,000, I will eat my hat with salt and pepper.
The AFL has been reduced to drastic measures already with this team including inflating figures.
Same goes for GWS, if there were 6000+ there, I’ll eat my trenchcoat with cinnamon and sugar for dessert.
June 17th 2012 @ 12:34pm
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party said | June 17th 2012 @ 12:34pm | Report comment
Calcio as a soccer fan i think you need to stop trolling Afl stories,i understand aussie rules fans have made a sport out of mocking the A-League’s crowds(of course small A-League crowds equal crisis while while we just need to give GWS and GC time)but stooping to that just looks pathetic from both sides.
June 17th 2012 @ 12:40pm
Calcio said | June 17th 2012 @ 12:40pm | Report comment
Who said I was a soccer fan only?
I like all sport. Doesn’t change the fact those crowds are greatly inflated and the AFL is in trouble in both places already. Bad sign. If I followed another AFL side, which I do, I would be extremely unhappy with the AFL’s dodgy policies in this area which are extremely unfair to other clubs and represent farcical interference at the highest level.
June 17th 2012 @ 12:50pm
Timmuh said | June 17th 2012 @ 12:50pm | Report comment
I don’t think either are in trouble, although I have doubts over the long term viability of GC.
The AFL always knew crowds would be low and losses big in the early years of GWS. The difference between the AFL and FFA in this respect is that the AFL has the funds to wear short, and even medium, term losses and is not relying on the largesse of one all-powerful owner. Sadly, the FFA did not have the money to see through development of GCU and North Qld.
June 17th 2012 @ 1:04pm
Calcio said | June 17th 2012 @ 1:04pm | Report comment
I beg to differ. They both look dreadful and are getting worse not better.
The AFL can go on about its deep pockets all it likes.
Once its main competitor in Australia, rugby league, also has 1 billion plus in the kit, the endless amounts of money being poured into GWS and GC for nothing will see a major reconsideration of this pin inserting plan of the AFL’s.
That much is obvious but that is the price you pay for not ever really understanding either NSW or QLD as sporting areas.
June 17th 2012 @ 1:36pm
aflhype said | June 17th 2012 @ 1:36pm | Report comment
Clive Palmer could of funded GC United for as long as it took, if the FFA were willing to change some details (in fact recently he offered to fund the team should the licence be returned or even fund the FFA in total ) but the realisation was made that GC United had no future by the FFA. So rather than put more money in they made the tough decision of moving on. It failed for a number of reasons but money was not one of them. Success was also not a issue early on as they had finals from year one and international players.
The Suns were to be more competitive this year but when you continue to struggle it just will become one big black hole and constantly putting more money in that you will not have for other areas. Plus the Gold Coast is struggling economically which will not help. I am sure they were budgeting for larger crowds and better performance, someone will need to pay the shortfall.
June 17th 2012 @ 2:05pm
The Cattery said | June 17th 2012 @ 2:05pm | Report comment
Yeh – cooda done this and cooda done that, but in the end – did nothing.
A bit like sydney rovers.
June 17th 2012 @ 1:20pm
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party said | June 17th 2012 @ 1:20pm | Report comment
Fair enough but lets be real i doubt their making up the crowd figures,the thing that would be more concerning is the number of home fans at both games yesterday there was i would say there were more Roos fans at Metricon yesterday and probably an equal amount of Richmond fans in Western Sydney,so you would say maybe 3000 odd locals showed up at Skoda.So with two years of promotion and alot of hype is that acceptable for one Afl side representing an area of over a million people?absloutely not.I too follow an Afl team so this is not an anti Afl rant but lets be real these teams need to be pushing for the eight within 5 years or their in massive trouble,GWS possibly could(only if they keep the team together)but Gold Coast won’t be i’ll tell you that much.
June 17th 2012 @ 2:08pm
The Cattery said | June 17th 2012 @ 2:08pm | Report comment
Calcio
Secondly, it’s only the NRL and A-League that have been caught red-handed making up crowd numbers.
If there is one league in Australian that does not have to make up crowd numbers – it’s definitely the AFL!!
AFL attendances are big – very big, even by world standards.
Also, I remind you that it’s the titans and GCU who saw the need to open their gates to the public for free – and it still wasn’t much chop.
Suns are doing quite well in comparison – very well in fact.
Can you remind me again what happened to GCU?
Another case of gunna do this and gunna do that – like the Sydney Rovers?
June 17th 2012 @ 4:22pm
Cameron said | June 17th 2012 @ 4:22pm | Report comment
Yes Calico because you had that most accurate of sporting crowd estimators, your tv screen, to make that call on the crowd figure, didn’t you.
June 17th 2012 @ 4:27pm
Brewski said | June 17th 2012 @ 4:27pm | Report comment
So you have both a hat and a trenchcoat ?, Hmmmm, I can actually imagine you wearing them as well.?, i think it suits.
Personally i think you should made to eat them without S&P and cinnamon and sugar, you should have to take your medicine fair and square.
June 18th 2012 @ 8:15am
Redb said | June 18th 2012 @ 8:15am | Report comment
The AFL don’t need to fluff crowd numbers.
Too many a re prejudging GC and GWS – give them time and you’ll be eating your words.